About me
MY BIO
I have over 20 years of experience writing and editing in daily newspapers, magazines, including Newsweek, and university publications.
I am an independent writer and editor working with clients in technology, design, marketing and government. I taught writing as an instructor at community college for several years. And living abroad in England and Paris, co-wrote and co-edited a book for expatriates in London and published a blog about the city's culture and arts while in Paris.
In my work as a freelance writer and editor I have contributed blog posts, press releases, articles and newsletters for clients in technology, design, city government and the equestrian world.
I love to interview people and listen for the story. In my years writing for daily newspapers and magazines I interviewed a variety of subjects on topics ranging from physics, to ranching, to the best apple pie recipe, and in between. In my teaching I consistently received five-star evaluations from my students for helping them achieve their writing goals, but also because I believe I made learning writing fun.
I have a B.A. degree in English from Boston College. I live in Philadelphia.
And a Little More ...
I was born and grew up in Washington, D.C. I went to high school in Connecticut and
loved my English class taught by a published poet. After college I travelled
throughout Europe and then went to work for a Gannett daily in upstate New York. I learned to assimilate information quickly,
and write in a clear and concise manner to a daily deadline. I also was a reporter for
United Press International – more spare and fast writing for broadcast news. I lived with my family in
Pittsburgh where I wrote press releases and articles and organized a spokesperson media tour for a national product rollout while working as an account executive for an advertising & public relations firm.
I moved with my family to London and worked on a book there that was published and carried in local stores like Harrods. Studying French language while living abroad made me even more appreciative of the beauty, nuance and
power of the English language. Once or twice a week I put on my riding boots and
head an hour out of the city to ride a quiet horse along French Creek.
I have over 20 years of experience writing and editing in daily newspapers, magazines, including Newsweek, and university publications.
I am an independent writer and editor working with clients in technology, design, marketing and government. I taught writing as an instructor at community college for several years. And living abroad in England and Paris, co-wrote and co-edited a book for expatriates in London and published a blog about the city's culture and arts while in Paris.
In my work as a freelance writer and editor I have contributed blog posts, press releases, articles and newsletters for clients in technology, design, city government and the equestrian world.
I love to interview people and listen for the story. In my years writing for daily newspapers and magazines I interviewed a variety of subjects on topics ranging from physics, to ranching, to the best apple pie recipe, and in between. In my teaching I consistently received five-star evaluations from my students for helping them achieve their writing goals, but also because I believe I made learning writing fun.
I have a B.A. degree in English from Boston College. I live in Philadelphia.
And a Little More ...
I was born and grew up in Washington, D.C. I went to high school in Connecticut and
loved my English class taught by a published poet. After college I travelled
throughout Europe and then went to work for a Gannett daily in upstate New York. I learned to assimilate information quickly,
and write in a clear and concise manner to a daily deadline. I also was a reporter for
United Press International – more spare and fast writing for broadcast news. I lived with my family in
Pittsburgh where I wrote press releases and articles and organized a spokesperson media tour for a national product rollout while working as an account executive for an advertising & public relations firm.
I moved with my family to London and worked on a book there that was published and carried in local stores like Harrods. Studying French language while living abroad made me even more appreciative of the beauty, nuance and
power of the English language. Once or twice a week I put on my riding boots and
head an hour out of the city to ride a quiet horse along French Creek.
Selected excerpts and ongoing projects
Copywriting for Arteriors, an artist owned decorative arts services company in Boston, for
entry in the 2022 Bulfinch Awards.
Our architectural finish and decorative arts firm was inspired to enliven the Saunders Castle
in Boston, a Civil War era building with a classical New England reference that would
enhance the design conversation of the Castle through the 21 st century. The renovation
commission was for hand-painted 1200 square feet of the 18 panels, 20 feet in the air.
The writer Henry James described the New England quality of a family that moved in close
by his in the lower Manhattan of James’ boyhood. They had “a wild savour,” he wrote. The
family’s “stronger and clearer note of New England” was “aridly romantic” with an
“atmosphere of apples and nuts and cheese, of pies and jack-knives and ‘squrruls’.” Their
New England stamp conveyed “a brave rusticity” and “the very essence of Indian summer”.
We thought of those apple trees, and Indian summer afternoons and decided the freshness
of clear New England skies was the note we wanted to strike. Our project speaks to the
simplicity, balance and optimism of the classical tradition of our region. Blue Skies.
entry in the 2022 Bulfinch Awards.
Our architectural finish and decorative arts firm was inspired to enliven the Saunders Castle
in Boston, a Civil War era building with a classical New England reference that would
enhance the design conversation of the Castle through the 21 st century. The renovation
commission was for hand-painted 1200 square feet of the 18 panels, 20 feet in the air.
The writer Henry James described the New England quality of a family that moved in close
by his in the lower Manhattan of James’ boyhood. They had “a wild savour,” he wrote. The
family’s “stronger and clearer note of New England” was “aridly romantic” with an
“atmosphere of apples and nuts and cheese, of pies and jack-knives and ‘squrruls’.” Their
New England stamp conveyed “a brave rusticity” and “the very essence of Indian summer”.
We thought of those apple trees, and Indian summer afternoons and decided the freshness
of clear New England skies was the note we wanted to strike. Our project speaks to the
simplicity, balance and optimism of the classical tradition of our region. Blue Skies.
God, Sex, Race & the Future; What Teens Believe
Newsweek - May 8, 2000 The temptation, of course, is to seek The Teen, the one who can stand as a symbol of this generation, who exemplifies in a single, still-young life the aspirations, the values, the habits and outlook of the 22 million other Americans 13 to 19. Who, then, shall we offer up? 'There's a lot of anger in my generation. You can hear it in the music. Kids are angry for a lot of reasons, but mostly because parents aren't around.' - Robertino Rodriguez, 17 'We don't care about skin, man. I know a lot about my heritage, about who I am. I'm more than just some black dude who is good at sports. I'm the future.' - Marcus Robinson, 17 Some sociologists believe that each generation assumes the societal role of the generation that is dying, as if something in the Zeitgeist whispers to the young what is being lost, what role they can fill. Those now passing away are the children of the Depression and of World War II. They were tested, and they emerged with optimism, and purpose, and a commitment to causes larger than themselves. As Trisha Sandoval puts it, 'We want to accomplish something with our lives.' Teens today, with their tattoos and baggy shorts, could not seem more different than their grandparents. But every generation has a chance at greatness. Let this one take its shot. |
Check out a Paris blog she kept during her time in Paris!
|
The Road Ahead: A Boomer's Guide to Happiness
Newsweek- April 3, 2000
A healthy economy and a strong stock market give them new options as they phase out of full-time employment. They may decide to freelance, work part-time or start their own companies. At the same time, they're likely to embrace their more spiritual side, motivated by a need to give back - an echo of the anti-materialism of the 60s.
Paul Fersen celebrated 50 by getting a tattoo and putting down a deposit on a Harley. "I always wanted a tattoo and I got one, a striped bass,' says Fersen, a marketing manager for Orvis, the fly-fishing outfitters based in Manchester, Vermont. But that's just one of the changes he sees in his future. 'Some people say my job could be voted best on the planet,' Fersen says, given that he gets paid for fishing all over the country. But, he says, 'I'm still working for somebody else.' He has a quieter, more independent vision for his future: 'There's a little country store in the next town. It's got two gas pumps and it's a deer weigh-in station. It's the main focal point of the town. I'd like to finish out my days by owning that store.'
Newsweek- April 3, 2000
A healthy economy and a strong stock market give them new options as they phase out of full-time employment. They may decide to freelance, work part-time or start their own companies. At the same time, they're likely to embrace their more spiritual side, motivated by a need to give back - an echo of the anti-materialism of the 60s.
Paul Fersen celebrated 50 by getting a tattoo and putting down a deposit on a Harley. "I always wanted a tattoo and I got one, a striped bass,' says Fersen, a marketing manager for Orvis, the fly-fishing outfitters based in Manchester, Vermont. But that's just one of the changes he sees in his future. 'Some people say my job could be voted best on the planet,' Fersen says, given that he gets paid for fishing all over the country. But, he says, 'I'm still working for somebody else.' He has a quieter, more independent vision for his future: 'There's a little country store in the next town. It's got two gas pumps and it's a deer weigh-in station. It's the main focal point of the town. I'd like to finish out my days by owning that store.'